Burundi Introduction

Between 1993 and 2000, wide-spread, often intense ethnic violence between Hutu
and Tutsi factions in Burundi created hundreds of thousands of refugees and left
tens of thousands dead. Although some refugees have returned from neighboring
countries, continued ethnic strife has forced many others to flee. Burundian troops,
seeking to secure their borders, have intervened in the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.

HISTORY In the 16th century, Burundi was a kingdom characterized by a hierarchical
political authority and tributary economic exchange. A king (mwani) headed a princely
aristocracy (ganwa) which owned most of the land and required a tribute, or tax,
from local farmers and herders. In the mid-18th century, this Tutsi royalty consolidated
authority over land, production, and distribution with the development of the
ubugabire--a patron-client relationship in which the populace received royal protection
in exchange for tribute and land tenure.

Although European explorers and missionaries
made brief visits to the area as early as 1856, it was not until 1899 that Burundi
came under German East African administration. In 1916 Belgian troops occupied
the area. In 1923, the League of Nations mandated to Belgium the territory of
Ruanda-Urundi, encompassing modern-day Rwanda and Burundi. The Belgians administered
the territory through indirect rule, building on the Tutsi-dominated aristocratic
hierarchy. Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi became a United Nations Trust
Territory under Belgian administrative authority. After 1948, Belgium permitted
the emergence of competing political parties. Two political parties emerged: the
Union for National Progress (UPRONA), a multi-ethnic party led by Tutsi Prince
Louis Rwagasore and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) supported by Belgium.
In 1961, Prince Rwagasore was assassinated following an UPRONA victory in legislative
elections.

Full independence was achieved on July 1, 1962. In the context of
weak democratic institutions at independence, Tutsi King Mwambutsa IV established
a constitutional monarchy comprising equal numbers of Hutus and Tutsis. The 1965
assassination of the Hutu prime minister set in motion a series of destabilizing
Hutu revolts and subsequent governmental repression. In 1966, King Mwambutsa was
deposed by his son, Prince Ntare IV, who himself was deposed the same year by
a military coup lead by Capt. Michel Micombero. Micombero abolished the monarchy
and declared a republic, although a de facto military regime emerged. In 1972,
an aborted Hutu rebellion triggered the flight of hundreds of thousands of Burundians.
Civil unrest continued throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In 1976,
Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza took power in a bloodless coup. Although Bagaza led
a Tutsi-dominated military regime, he encouraged land reform, electoral reform,
and national reconciliation. In 1981, a new constitution was promulgated. In 1984,
Bagaza was elected head of state, as the sole candidate. After his election, Bagaza's
human rights record deteriorated as he suppressed religious activities and detained
political opposition members.

In 1987, Maj. Pierre Buyoya overthrew Colonel
Bagaza. He dissolved opposition parties, suspended the 1981 constitution, and
instituted his ruling Military Committee for National Salvation (CSMN). During
1988, increasing tensions between the ruling Tutsis and the majority Hutus resulted
in violent confrontations between the army, the Hutu opposition, and Tutsi hardliners.
During this period, an estimated 150,000 people were killed, with tens of thousands
of refugees flowing to neighboring countries. Buyoya formed a commission to investigate
the causes of the 1988 unrest and to develop a charter for democratic reform.

In 1991, Buyoya approved a constitution that provided for a president, multiethnic
government, and a parliament. Burundi's first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye,
of the Hutu-dominated FRODEBU Party, was elected in 1993. He was assassinated
by factions of the Tutsi-dominated armed forces in October 1993. The country was
then plunged into civil war, which killed tens of thousands of people and displaced
hundreds of thousands by the time the FRODEBU government regained control and
elected Cyprien Ntaryamira president in January 1994. Nonetheless, the security
situation continued to deteriorate. In April 1994, President Ntayamira and Rwandan
President Juvenal Habyarimana died in a plane crash. This act marked the beginning
of the Rwandan genocide, while in Burundi, the death of Ntaryamira exacerbated
the violence and unrest. Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was installed to a 4-year presidency
on April 8, but the security situation further deteriorated. The influx of hundreds
of thousands of Rwandan refugees and the activities of armed Hutu and Tutsi groups
further destabilized the regime.

People of Burundi - Learn about
the population, age structure, birth and death rate, sex ratio, nationality, ethnic
groups, religions, languages, and literacy in Burundi

Government
and Politics in Burundi - Profiles the country name, government type,
administrative divisions, independence, national holiday, constitution, legal
system, suffrage, executive, legislative, and judicial branches, political parties
and leaders, and a flag description of Burundi.

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